Posts Tagged ‘NY’

In 1998, a young woman who was born and raised in Trinidad and Tobago relocated herself, a son and a daughter from Brooklyn, New York to Claymont, Delaware. Still grieving from the untimely death of her fiance’ and left alone to raise the small children she decided to become a small business owner.

A transplant from New York unable to find the cultural exchanges that she had grown accustomed decided to open Mejah Books, Inc .

Emlyn DeGannes, or “Ms. M” as she prefers to be called left the Interior Design Industry in NY to become a small vendor in the Tri-State Mall. There are days when Mejah Books, Inc. is filled with the sounds of Latin, Caribbean or Reggae music, but on this particular Saturday it was the soothing sounds of Meditation Music.

The staff is pleasant and engaging, you are invited to purchase a cup of coffee, tea or water while you shop. However, if not there to make a purchase feel free to take a seat to read, relax, meditate, or even take a nap. The aroma, a mixture of oils and incense envelops you into warm comfort.

I walked around checking out the many book titles, magazines, artwork, handcrafted jewelry, body scrubs and lotions. It reminded me of the small boutiques in Soho, as men women and children wandered in and out exchanging pleasantries, enjoying a family day outing. It didn’t feel as though I had entered this Zen-like area from the cool corridors of a Mall.

There are books of interest for everyone including children who are welcomed to come in, sit and relax with or without their parents, a perfect place for the back to school crowd.

Ms. M is also an author and one of her recent works “Voices…Letters to Ms. Em Reflections of Life While Doing Life” is now part of the Education curriculum at the University of Delaware where she is also a guest speaker.

Now that her son, Jordan and daughter Jewel are grown, she continues to work even outside of the bookstore. She mentors young ladies through Voices of Beautiful Flowers; is a Cyber School Instructor with achievementcharter.com and she also receives correspondence from inmates from all over the world. Ms. M takes time to write each of them back or she may send a book of encouragement. In the back room she has a credenza that contains hundreds of letters and cards from these men and women.

To say, Ms. M is a busy lady would be an understatement, “every day brings more life to discover, you just have to open your heart to find it.”

If you happen to be in Claymont, stop in at the TriState Mall and visit Ms. M at Mejah Books, Inc. The shop is open everyday, Monday through Saturday 10:00 am to 9:00 pm and on Sunday 12:00 to 5:00 pm. I look forward to returning and featuring her in another one of her many community projects.

Hello Friends and Happy Friday Eve!

Today, my youngest begins volunteering at the Food Bank of Delaware. It’s so very hard to find summer employment for teenagers these days, and he needs gas money, so I made him a deal. He will volunteer 3 hours a day, 3 times a week helping to prepare free summer meals for kids, and I will pay him $50.00 a week for gas and savings.

As a 17 year old male, it’s important for him to build a good work ethic, but to have an opportunity to work in a field that gives back builds character. I want him to understand that not everyone lives a privileged life and that we all have an obligation to help others. Whether it’s in donating money, clothing, food or time, we should all reach out into our communities to lend a helping hand.

Growing up in a housing project in New Rochelle, NY, my sister and I attended summer programs that provided free lunches. Even back then, I knew this not only helped us but our grandmother as well, and that it was important to be grateful. It would upset me when other kids would smash the milk cartons or throw away the fruit, I knew there were others even less fortunate who would have loved to have had that milk or piece of fruit.

If your High School student is also having a hard time finding employment for the summer, consider a volunteer opportunity in your area, it can also be a good topic for their Senior Project.

Would you consider yourself a Flea Market Fanatic or Swap Meet Maniac if in every state you visited you had to seek out one?

I wouldn’t but I love finding them in my state as well as others that I visit. The first discovery was in 1976, the year we moved from New Rochelle, NY to Dover, DE and it was Spence’s Bazaar. As a family we bought and then sold every Tuesday and Friday during the summer. Buying fresh vegetables, clothing, jewelry, books, and games at a Flea Market was awesome and cheap! Making money selling at a Flea Market was also awesome, however, my first experience wasn’t so positive. I sold several cases of 1950’s and ’60’s Barbie Dolls with clothing and accessories to a women for $5.00 – I didn’t know, but she knew that she had ripped me off!

In college during the 80’s I discovered Cowtown Flea Market across the Delaware Memorial Bridge in Pilesgrove, New Jersey. It was the place to go for sneakers, knock off designer bags, tight Sergio Valente and Jordache jeans as well as items you needed for your dorm room before heading back to campus. As a matter of fact hubby and I had our second date there, shopping then eating sausage sandwiches at the counter was where I fell in love with him, a man after my thrify heart! I’ve also gone to some fantastic Swap Meets in California, New Jersey, Maryland and Virginia.

The Infamous Cowboy Statue

Even while vacationing in Florida we always dedicate one day to visiting Flea Markets and Swap Meets. Malik looks for watches and has a pretty nice collection, when he was younger it was model cars of which he has a large collection. Hubby would seek out new ties for work, me shoes and purses, and Tayair T-shirts. During President Obama’s run in 2008 we must have purchased a dozen different styles of campaign T-Shirts.

In the ’90’s, and during our early years of marriage we would rent space at New Castle Farmers Market. Selling surplus household items as well as those tight jeans and barely-there club dresses with hubby practically giving those away – lol! Now as a couple we go for fresh veggies, vitamins and herbal teas, boy how times have changed!

Now it’s Dutch Country Farmers Market in Middletown, where for $15 you can rent 3 parking spaces on the 1st Saturday of the month beginning in April to September. Last weekend I made almost $200 – “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure”!

Hello Friends, I hope you are having a terrific Tuesday!

Recently, I read an article that had suggestions on the products that you should and should not buy at your local Dollar Stores. I agreed that buying party supplies and paper products was a good idea and with not buying toys which may contain high levels of lead. Purchasing cleaning supplies saves money, but I only buy name brands because some of the others are watered down which makes them a waste of money.

The only statement in the article that I did not agree with was that food items should never be purchased. Granted there are some items in a Dollar/99 Cents store that shouldn’t be purchased because of it’s obvious non-compliance with FDA’s regulations, however, there are a lot of products that I would and have bought at Dollar Tree stores.

The state of the economy has forced us all to be more frugal but my sons are trying to eat me out of house and home! They are always snacking and can easily polish off a large bag of chips in one sitting…wonder where they got that from (lol). Therefore, I am always on the hunt, usually with coupons in hand, in search of snacks that they will eat and be satisfied without breaking the bank.

That’s where Dollar Tree comes in, and it has always been my “go to” store for snacks, even when the boys were small, it was the place to stop before going to the movies. Not all products are sold in all stores and I was surprised with what I found in their freezer section, taking note that packaging was clearly marked Made in the USA, (The Bronx, NY, Altoona, PA, Pennsauken, NJ and Rancho Cucamonga, CA). There are many name brand products made specifically for non-grocery type stores as evidenced by their sizes, however, the quality remains the same and manufacturer’s coupons are accepted.

As a “fifty something” wife and mother, I enjoyed this show for several reasons: the time, 10 pm on Friday…end of the work week…after dinner…after hubby and sons have gone to their rooms…after weekly home pedicure…and after the 4th glass of Red Wine has kicked in. Light comedy with an excellent cast of characters that appear to work well together, great guest appearances like Wendy Williams and Gary Dourdan, a show that I hope remains on the air for a long time.

A few weeks ago I was nominated for another Very Inspiring Blogger Award by The Big Forest, a blogger from the UK whose pictures always delight me. If in the real world we could present these types of awards to people who we’ve never met but simply enjoy what they represent I think the world would be a better place. I am always honored and humbled to receive recognition from a fellow blogger and take great pride in nominating others.